so ive been watching youtube videos for like 3 weeks trying to figure out what to buy and honestly im more confused now than when i started. everyone recommends something different and half the videos are clearly sponsored so i dont know who to trust

my budget is somewhere around 200-300 dollars maybe a little more if its worth it. i mostly want to just fly around my neighborhood, maybe take some footage at family stuff. nothing crazy. do i need to care about all the obstacle avoidance stuff or is that just marketing. also does the controller matter or do they all come with one

sorry if this is a dumb question just really dont know where to start

not a dumb question at all, literally everyone goes through this phase. for your budget the mini 2 se or the regular mini 2 if you can find it on sale are probably the most sensible starting point. dji just has their stuff dialed in in a way that cheaper brands dont, the app works, the footage is actually decent, and you're not fighting the drone to get it to do basic things

obstacle avoidance on the cheaper ones is pretty much marketing yeah. the mini 2 doesnt have it and i dont think it matters much when you're learning, just fly slower and pay attention. the controller comes included but if you want range and less phone battery drain the rc-n1 vs the rc controller debate is a whole other rabbit hole, dont worry about that yet

honestly just get the mini 2 se combo if you can, the extra batteries are worth more than people say when you're just starting out and want to keep flying

i was in the exact same spot like 4 months ago and ended up with a holy stone hs720 because it was cheaper and i thought dji was overhyped. kind of regret it tbh, the app is janky and wind above like 10mph makes it feel sketchy. works fine for calm days but yeah. if i did it again i'd probably just stretch the budget a bit for the dji